Sun gods to shine on Bay Christmas

Hawke's Bay is forecast to have some of the hottest holiday weather in the country next week, despite a chance of rain on Christmas Eve.

Temperatures in Napier and Hastings are expected to soar to 29C on Christmas Day but with "one or two" showers, predicted MetService in their 10-day forecast.

And, it is currently forecast to be even hotter on Boxing Day, without any rain.

On both days, the minimum forecast is a mild 17C.

At Dannevirke the maximum temperature forecast for the two days, next Tuesday and Wednesday, is 24C, and while no localised prediction was last night available for Wairoa, the temperatures in Gisborne are expected to be up to 27C.

The Pacific storm Tropical Cyclone Evan, having devastated Samoa and Fiji, was last night being forecast to head south towards New Zealand, veering towards the Tasman Sea but causing heavy weekend rain in areas from Northland to the Coromandel Peninsula.